Heat transfer devices may be coupled to a heat generating device, such as a semiconductor device, to remove heat and lower the maximum operating temperature of the heat generating device. Cooling fluid may be used in heat transfer devices to receive heat generated by the heat generating device by convective thermal transfer, and remove such heat from the heat generating device. Other heat transfer devices may remove thermal energy by two-phase heat transfer, wherein coolant fluid is converted from a liquid phase to a gas phase at the location of thermal flux.
Semiconductor devices, such as power semiconductor devices, are typically exposed to both transient and steady-state heat loads. In the transient heat load distribution, the heat flux reaches a high peak value for a short period of time, and then drops to a lower steady state value. However, the design of the cooling system for the electronic device assembly should be such that it can meet both the transient and steady-state heat loads. Designing the cooling system to meet the transient load requirement may result in a system that is cost-prohibitive, oversized, and heavy.
Accordingly, a need exists for alternative cooling systems for electronic device assemblies.